I had planned to try to lose weight this year. (I plan to try to lose weight every year. And I do lose weight, roughly once every 7 years.) My plan is usually this: Move More, Eat Less. That plan works — when I actually follow it. I find that it can be a difficult plan to follow. I figured that was because I’m lazy and I love food. But Kristy Sammis would probably tell me that it’s tough to stick to because the mantra is too vague; it doesn’t meet the “SMART” guidelines. (The what-now? It means “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.” More about that here.)
Kristy’s Good Health-a-thon isn’t about losing weight. It’s about improving your health. But for me, losing weight is going to be an important part of improving my health.
So here’s how I’m planning to be SMART about my health in 2008. (Gee, that sounded cheesy.)
- Exercise at least five days each week. Not only will this help out with the weight loss, it’ll be a mental health effort, too. My workout time will probably be the extent of my alone time most days.
- Have a vegetable with dinner every night. I’ve tried in the past to aim for five servings of veggies a day, but that goal has never stuck. I don’t like vegetables. So we’re starting small.
- Eat at least a serving of fruit daily. I love fruit, but with Poppy and Pete to chase after and care for, I sometimes forget to eat anything at all, much less take the time to peel and eat an orange. Which brings us to …
- Wake up earlier. I’m very fortunate to have two good sleepers in the house. Pete usually wakes up around 8, and Poppy sleeps until 8:30 most mornings. I’ve been sleeping until around 7:45, giving me just enough time to shower before they’re ready to go. After reading “10 Benefits of Rising Early” at Zenhabits, though, I decided to push that back by 10 minutes each week until I’m getting up at 7. That’ll give me time to shower and eat breakfast and maybe even get my head in order before the day begins.
The beauty of the Good Health-a-thon is that the goal is whatever will make a healthier you.
Stressed out? Vow to do yoga three times a week.
Tired? Take the go-to-bed-earlier pledge.
Constipated? Promise yourself more fiber in 2008!
Let me know if you’re going to join the Health-a-thon. We can encourage each other! You can call me at 7:03 to make sure I’m out of bed, and I’ll ask you if you’ve taken your Metamucil yet. It’ll be great!